redhotchick Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 I emptied my compost bin today. It was left all last year after being filled up the year before, so it was well rotted. It may seem odd to be so thrilled with some soil, but I really was! The top layer had a few egg shells and twigs not completely decomposed. I picked them out and chucked them back in after I'd finished emptying it, by the time I got to the bottom it was more compacted and more like "real soil". I found it odd that there were no worms at all in the whole bin, until I got to the very bottom and turned the soil at the base with a fork, there was one worm! Last year because the compost bin was full I used an old hemcore bag for kitchen waste and chicken droppings (I only have the one chicken, Bella). So I transferred that bag into the now empty compost bin. It was too heavy to lift and tip in so I scooped handfuls out into a bucket. Every handful was teeming with worms! My theory is that the worms had exhausted the compost bin and eaten what they wanted, and gone elsewhere. Whereas the compost in the hemcore bag was a gourmet treat for them! For my compost I use chicken poop and used chicken bedding (Hemcore usually), together with fruit and vegetable peelings, eggshells, coffee grounds, and a little green waste from the garden. I don't put potato peelings, banana skins or any citrus in. Potato peelings because I found I had potatoes popping up where I didn't want them! Banana skins and citrus because I think that they attracted fruit flies, plus they take so long to rot down. I water it ocassionally, or just leave the lid off. My compost bin is about a third full again already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Sounds great Your approach is very like mine, although I do put fruit in there but I don't put egg shell in anymore, it doesn't ever seem to rot down completely even after 3 or 4 years (I find myself digging them up in the beds), so now I crush the shell as a snail barrier although I can't pretend its great at that either. I think you are right about the brandlings, they do go on elsewhere post-chomp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henergy Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 Interesting post - I started my compost bin last year (March) with chicken poop, soiled aubiose, fruit & veg, egg shells, newspaper, clippings off bushes etc - usual stuff and I got my DH to give it a stir periodically. But - on investigation its not looking good. The bottom layer is a rust colour but I can still see pieces of aubiose in it plus egg shell. But there are large bits of fungi and certainly whats on top is just as it was when it went in. Is this normal ? I've never had one before There were lots of crawly insects but couldn't see any worms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 Is it wet enough? It shouldn't be soggy, but if you don't have enough moisture, it won't rot down. Grass clippings and kitchen veg waste are good for heat and moisture, mixed with drier stuff like cardboard/paper, twiggy plant waste etc. From what you've described as going in there, I wonder if it was a bit too dry? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henergy Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 I think you're probably right. Going to leave lid off for a few days & get it damper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lillybettybabs Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 Chicken poop is great in you compost too, I have had my first lot of compost this year and i ran indoors with a bucket full to show my OH as i was so proud. It has gone into large bags and barrels to grow veg and herbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redhotchick Posted April 4, 2012 Author Share Posted April 4, 2012 @Henergy. I concur with Olly. It sounds a bit dry. If your compost bin is free draining, like mine, I'd chuck a bucket of water on it every so often, and try and stir it up a bit. Check if it is getting hot at all. If you can get it heating up a bit it will rot down quicker. You could add some domestic liquid activator to the water that you use. If you don't know what I mean...anyone care to elaborate? @Daphne, Brandlings, what a lovely word! As long as they stay in my garden doing good work that's fine! I do tend to chuck any worms I find when I'm digging/weeding into my compost. Only because it keeps them away from my chicken as I go along! How quickly does a worm reproduce? @Lillybettybabs, I did the same thing, my OH was not as enthusiastic as I was! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henergy Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 I've just googled domestic liquid activator ....!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 Well, it does work but it's only really practical if you have a male in the household who is willing. I am not prepared to go to the lengths of collecting it and carrying it down the garden, and I haven't mastered the SheWee yet! I find chicken poop does a very good job of activating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 We too got very excited about compost this year, we emptied a large green darlek type bin that had been left for about 2 years. The soil was the sort of stuff that I can remember David Bellamy getting very excited about on TV in the seventies. We have used it to fill a new strawberry bed and the plants are going great guns and have flowers on them already. We add all of the Aubiose from the chicken houses and the veg and fruit peelings from the kitchen, I don't add citrus because I heard that the worms don't like it, and now that we have food waste collected I don't add egg shells either because they take far too long to break down. I leave the lids off the bins when rain is forcast and give them a prod with a fork from time to time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redhotchick Posted April 13, 2012 Author Share Posted April 13, 2012 @chickencam, Sounds much like my compost. I should get some strawberries in there quick! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Chick Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 OH wees into a pop bottle to take outside I sometimes find it a bit disconcerting if I think about it when eating my veg, knowing that hubby's pee and the chickens poo are what made my broad beans so tasty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 I got half a dozen used soil bags full of lovely compost last week and also got all excited about it . I'm constantly amazed by how what you put in at the top ends up looking like soil . I do put egg shells and teabags in but neither compost particularly well . I was a bit slow working out the domestic liquid activator . OH is quite tall, I bet he could bypass the pop bottle . I've got one of those plastic turner thingies which I use periodically to mix things up a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plum Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 Mmm nice crumbly compost. My compost is going strange this time. I just turned the top layer to see how its going and add some air and find it is all mildewy and smells fusty. This part of the compost has chicken poo, dirt from run, veg peelings, grass mixed in well. Do I just let it get on with it or can I do something to make it look like its rotting? Don't think the worms will move in while it's like this. I did dampen run dirt and tray droppings to make them wet before putting it in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 How long has it been in there? It sounds like it just needs to have maybe a bit more moisture, if it seems a bit dry and a good stir around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plum Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 Only about 10 days so I'll stir and dampen a bit more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
